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Liepājā ražo militārām vajadzībām domātus elektroskrejriteņus

Liepāja military scooter project gets into gear

Take note – story published 1 year ago

Anyone of the opinion that electric scooters are the sole preserve of annoying youths on sidewalks may soon be forced to revise their opinion, thanks to a Liepāja-based company, reports Kurzeme TV.

"Global Wolf Motors" is currently trying to carve out a niche in the competitive sector of of military technology with a rugged, all-terrain electric scooter created with high power, speed and high mileage on a single charge.

The idea for the development and production of a specific, particularly durable all-terrain electric scooter, came to entrepreneur Klāvs Ašmanis from Liepāja at the very beginning of the Covid pandemic. Before that, he managed a karting hall in Rīga for 10 years  and had tinkered with tricycles or three-wheeled electric scooters, but everything stopped due to the restrictions of Covid. The hall was sold and the Halli was sold andthe  funds were invested in a scooter factory in his native Liepāja.

"We have overcome the fact that we only had a prototype and an idea. This year, of course, we have only completed the first production cycle, and production, which we alternated with development at the same time. For next year we only have to advertise, produce and to sell. Here we are able to produce 600 units at a given moment, but we believe that we can also do 1,000," said Klāvs Ashmanis, the founder and manager of the military electric scooter which has been dubbed "Mosphera".

The Ministry of Defense welcomes the company's achievements and sees great potential for its development with Mārtiņš Mežulis, head of the Defense Technology and Innovation Center of the Ministry of Defense stressing the importance of local production capability.

Last June, NATO approved a plan for adaptation to climate change, and in this context, the armies of the Alliance countries are thinking about greener solutions in the field of transport as well. Therefore, "Mosphera" has come as an offer on the market in a very timely manner, said Elīna Egle, chairman of the board of the Federation of Latvian Security and Defense Industries.

"What Mosphera offers is micromobility. Because if we imagine a large military base, or, let's say, a harsh environment where soldiers or national guardsmen work, then of course both in terms of distance and in terms of overcoming various obstacles, the functionality of this vehicle is very, very suitable," said Egle.

But while the military is still considering the purchase of such vehicles, the company is already developing its export market. Through cooperation partners, scooters are currently sold in the Czech Republic, France, Israel, Poland, Slovakia and Finland, while direct sales have also taken place to customers in Switzerland, the USA and here in Latvia.

"We already have exclusive distribution contracts in six European countries, it is mostly sold to the crazy – that is, enthusiasts – but at the moment we are also working with state procurement, with armies, police, farmers are also very interested," explained Klāvs Ašmanis.

One of the first potential domestic customers promises to be the municipality of South Kurzeme region, which plans to purchase such electric scooters for the municipal police next year. 

 

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